A native of New York, USA, Finley became a vice president at the 2005 General Conference Session in St. Louis, after serving nearly two years as general field secretary at the world headquarters, directing the Center for Global Evangelism. Evangelism is where Finley has made his mark on the world, having led in over 100 meetings around the globe with resulting baptisms numbering in the thousands. His best known association is as a television speaker, first for the It Is Written telecast for 20 years and also as the speaker for three Net evangelism satellite series, broadcast around the world. He has used his preaching and evangelism gifts to teach others in field schools and evangelism institutes throughout his career. As a vice president, Finley continues his work with evangelism and Adventist television as his primary portfolio.

Finley and his wife, Ernestine (“Teenie”), have teamed up in ministry throughout the years and also share a family of three grown children; Debbie, Rebecca, and Mark Jr.